Chapter 4: The Bad News
by TheMistyMountainsLiveTogether
Summary: Why it's causing such trouble.


Chapter 4: The Bad News

After I stepped outside to find Thomas, my anger towards Kim melted away as soon as I looked up at the sky. The night was calm and peaceful with just a slight breeze. The sky was clear and the stars shone bright. The waves of the nearby ocean gently overlapped one another and then crashed ever so gently under the steady, wooden bridge. I walked out on the dock to meet Thomas. He was located at the end of it, just staring out at the ocean with a disconcerting look on his face. At that point, I completely forgot all about what I wanted to tell him and just became extremely concerned that he was alright. I walked up behind him and asked in my sweet, timid voice "Is everything okay, Thomas?"

He looked back at me and tried to smile, but he just couldn't.

"Oh, please tell me what's wrong, Thomas. I hate to see you this way."

"Oh, Elizabeth, please forgive me for taking advantage of you like that."

"You mean the almost kiss? Is that what's bothering you?"

"It's only part of what's bothering me. I've been trying to think of a way to tell you this all night," He said with a very heavy sigh.

"Tell me what?" I asked with a sense of great worry in my voice.

"I really like you, Liz, and that's why it's so hard for me to tell you that… Elizabeth, I'm leaving the university."

"What? Wh...why?" I stuttered as my eyes widened and my voice began to crack. You finally tell me that you like me after all these years and you're just going to take off and go. Where are you going to go?"

"Elizabeth, I know I can trust you with what I'm about to tell you, but you have to promise that you won't tell anybody else, not even Kim."

I gently nodded my head yes, desperately trying to withhold my many emotions.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to search and find the Forbidden Flame."

At first, I didn't know how to respond, but I knew I could no longer hide my emotions. I became very angry and nearly shoved him off the dock and into the ocean.

"What? I asked with fury. "I knew it! I knew it!" I nearly screamed. "I knew the way you were talking about the Flame you thought it was real. Thomas," I said as I struggled in lowering my tone. "You tell us in class almost every day that what you teach isn't real and now you're going to go back on everything you've taught, and fool around searching for something you aren't even sure exists?"

"Liz, I know you're upset and I know this isn't going to be easy for either of us. But Liz, I know it's real; I can feel it. It sounds outlandish, but I don't know another way to make you believe me. You know me, Liz. I'm the last person in the world to go off and do something as crazy as this. For years now, I've just been waiting to give up on people, on teaching, and most importantly, on life, Liz. Now I have finally found something that makes me feel like I'm not just wasting my life, something that gives me hope. I'm 26 years old, Liz. I don't know how many more chances in my lifetime I'll have to do something this life-changing. Please, Elizabeth, try to understand." He said with great sadness.

After a few minutes of digesting what I'd just heard, I swallowed the thick lump in my throat, took in a deep breath of air, and then began to speak. "Thomas, I don't think I'll ever understand this," I said with more than a hint of confusion. "But I want you to be happy and if this is what makes you most happy, then I want you to go and find that Flame," I said with a big approving grin, after struggling to overcome my self-pity.

Before Thomas said a word, he gave me the biggest smile I ever saw. He then leapt over to me and threw his arms around me and embraced me tightly. I'd never seen him so happy or eager about something before; he reminded me of a schoolboy, not a teacher. Seeing him that way overrode all of my previous doubts I had about his decision. He then unwillingly released me from his grip and unexpectedly ran his hands up and down my shoulders. He looked deep into my eyes and then said in a very caring tone, "You have no idea what this means to me, Liz."

Something came over me when I heard those words. Even more so than that, I think it was the way he decided to say it which made me feel like I could guiltlessly do what I did next. I looked up at him for a brief moment, and then ever so slowly ran my fingers gently through his hair. Afterwards, I took my hand and moved it across his shoulder, down his arm, and finally grabbed his hand to pull him closer to me, giving him one last farewell.

"You're going to be fine without me, Elizabeth Fields. Yeah, you're going to be just fine. You better keep out of trouble," He then said with a slight grin, struggling to lighten the mood.

No matter how light and fluffy he tried to make our conversation, I just couldn't let him.

"You better take care of yourself," I whispered softly in his ear. I slowly pulled away and kissed him ever so tenderly on his slightly rough, yet extremely warm cheek. He gently took hold of my chin, wiped the starting tear from my eye, and then swept it away from my face and into the lake. For a slight moment, I envied that tear; at least it had someone to be with.

Before he released me from his grasp for the last time, he sympathetically kissed me on my forehead. My eyes had been closed the whole time; I didn't want that moment to ever end. I felt him pull away and say, "Liz, if you ever need anything, anything at all, I will be here for you... I promise."

As comforting as that should have been, it wasn't. However, I didn't want him to know how upset I was, so I lightened the mood as best as I knew how by waving him on and then saying, "Get out of here, I'm sick of you," with a big, "I sure will miss you" smile. Thomas then called for a taxi. As he got in the cab, he gave me one last smile and closed firmly the car's stereotypical Mikado yellow door. As the cab drove away, I waved him good-bye. Once it had finally disappeared into the murky fog of the night, I fell to my knees and wept violently. So there I sat, alone and completely disillusioned. I really thought he was going to ask me to marry him. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't shake that awful feeling. I was deeply afraid of what the future might bring. I didn't know what Thomas was thinking when he told me that I'd be fine without him. He appeared so sincere when he said that, more sincere than when he first spoke of the Forbidden Flame. If that was indeed true, I sure didn't feel like I would be; I didn't even feel like I would make it through that night. I felt so tired and drained. I wanted more than anything at that time to go back inside and drown my sorrows in a tall mug of beer. Only, I didn't want to face anyone, especially Kim. So I sat there. I would have sat there all night if I had not suddenly heard two of the regular drunkards being thrown out of the bar and also, Kim shouting my name, while she held the creaking bar door open, letting out all of the loud music and other chaotic noises. I decided that night I wouldn't get the peace I so desperately needed, so I reluctantly went back inside to face the music.


End file.
